ASPECTS OF THE IMPACT OF ENGLISH MEDICAL TERMS ON ROMANIAN MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY
ASPECTS OF THE IMPACT OF ENGLISH MEDICAL TERMS ON ROMANIAN MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY

Summary/Abstract: This study examines the evolution of Romanian medical terminology under the increasing influence of English as the global lingua franca of medicine. Drawing on historical, theoretical, and applied perspectives, it traces the layered development of the lexicon from its classical Greek and Latin foundations, through the domestication of French borrowings in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, to the contemporary influx of English terms. The analysis focuses on two primary strategies, foreignization, which retains original forms for precision and international interoperability, and domestication, which adapts terms to Romanian morphological and phonological norms for accessibility. Comparative insights from the French model highlight divergent policy orientations toward linguistic sovereignty and functional interoperability. Special attention is paid to the impact of technological innovation and interdisciplinary research, which accelerate the adoption of unassimilated English terminology in such fields as biotechnology, digital health, and nanomedicine. The findings underscore the necessity of a register-sensitive, hybrid approach: foreignizing in specialist discourse to maintain global alignment, while domesticating in patient communication to ensure clarity and cultural resonance. This balanced strategy is essential to safeguard both the international relevance and linguistic integrity of Romanian medical language in the twenty-first century.

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